How to Auto-Reply to One Person in iMessage

Why target one contact?

A broad away message can be useful, but it is often more automation than you want. Maybe one client is waiting for updates while you work. Maybe your partner is texting during a long meeting. Maybe a family member needs quick acknowledgments while you drive home. One-person mode keeps every other chat untouched.

GhostReply watches for new one-to-one iMessages from the contact you select. It reads recent history for that conversation from the Messages database on your Mac, builds the relevant context, and asks Groq for a reply in your established style. The result is sent through Messages while GhostReply remains open. It is an automatic sender, not merely a suggestion that waits in the text field.

This narrow scope is also easier to supervise. You know exactly which relationship is automated, you can watch the live reply log in Terminal, and a manual message from you ends the session after GhostReply has replied. Run the command again whenever you want it back.

Contact-specific style, not a universal template

The wording may be shorter, more formal, or more casual depending on your history with that person. GhostReply can draw on the slang, length, punctuation, and tone already present in that conversation. AI can still misunderstand a message, invent a detail, or choose the wrong tone, so use this feature only where an imperfect automatic reply is an acceptable risk.

Set up one-person mode

1. Install GhostReply, run ghostreply, and choose the 10-reply trial or enter a paid license.
2. Add your Groq API key when prompted. The key stays in your local GhostReply configuration.
3. Allow your terminal app to read Messages and control Messages when macOS asks.
4. Choose Autopilot or another reply style, select One person, then choose the contact.
5. Pick a reply speed and leave GhostReply running. Close it or press the stop control to turn it off.

GhostReply can also target all one-to-one chats. If that is your use case, read the business auto-reply guide before widening the scope.

Requirements and data flow

• A Mac that is awake, online, and signed in to iMessage in the Messages app.
• Full Disk Access for the terminal app that runs GhostReply, so it can read the local Messages database.
• Automation permission for that terminal app to control Messages and send the reply. Contacts access helps show names instead of handles.
• A Groq account and API key. Relevant message context travels directly from your Mac to Groq for inference.

Your reply profile, configuration, and usage statistics are stored under ~/.ghostreply. Message content does not pass through GhostReply's servers. Trial state, license checks, and analytics data can reach GhostReply services. Review the GhostReply privacy page and Groq's current data documentation before using real conversations.

Controls and limits

One-person mode skips group chats. It auto-sends only while the Mac is awake and GhostReply is running. After GhostReply has sent a message, sending your own message to the selected contact makes the app step aside and stop. In all-contacts mode, manually replying after GhostReply has answered that contact pauses the contact for 30 minutes while other eligible chats can continue.

GhostReply uses keyword heuristics for urgent and sensitive messages. An urgent match is skipped and produces a notification. A sensitive match can receive a short holding reply and a notification. These checks are not a safety guarantee. They can miss unusual wording or classify a normal message incorrectly. Do not rely on GhostReply for emergencies, medical matters, legal commitments, financial instructions, consent, or any conversation that needs human judgment.